Vacuum rug dryer



Filed March 20. 1968 Feb. 4, 1969 c. w. LAMBERT 3,425,137

VACUUM RUG DRYER Sheet of 2 I VENTOR. (MW

D Feb. 4, 1969 w. LAMBERT 3,425,137

VACUUM RUG DRYER Filed March 20, 1968 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 3,425,137 VACUUM RUG DRYER Chandley W. Lambert, P.0. Box 56, Lake Dallas, Tex. 75065 Filed Mar. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 714,687 US. C]. 34-92 Int. Cl. F26b 13/30 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates in general to dryers in which rugs are secured to frames and dried within a vacuum drum by heated air circulated around and between them and in particular to former Patent Number 3,030,712, Apr. 24, 1962.

In the drawing FIG. 1 shows an end view of the drum interior with the door open and loaded frames in place.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sketch showing in detail the relationship of the parts and is used in the exposition of operation which follows.

FIG. 3 shows the movable platform from and to which the heavily loaded frames are rolled into and removed from the drum.

In FIG. 1, the cylindrical drum 1 has inner pressure rings 2 and outer supporting loops 3, legs 4 and pressure tight door 5. The floor plate 6, floor joists 7 and joist end supports 8 are secured within drum 1. At 99 are spaced holes in floor plate 6. At 10-10 are parallel longitudinal guides, secured to floor plate 6, which guide rollers 11--11 pivoted to vertical post 1212 to which are secured circular segmental ribs 13A to 13D inclusive, supporting rugs 16A to 16D.

In FIG. 2, the ribs of each frame are connected together by diagonal braces 14.

Each frame consists of several spaced ribs, posts, rollers and bracts. Any frame may be withdrawn from the drum without touching or removing the others, FIG. 1. No particular sequence of loading or unloading the frames is necessary.

To each frame is secured a heavy wire mesh, as 15 FIG. 2, which supports the rug and to which it is secured, as 16D, FIGS. 1-2-3.

Posts 17, FIGS. 1-2, support the warm air pipe 18, which has branch lines 19 which conduct the warm air into interior heaters 20, which have reversible fans 21 for air circulation. Suction pipe 22 removes moist humid air from the drum.

In FIG. 2, suction line 22 is connected to filter 23. The air is drawn through check valve 24 by suction pump 25 and discharged at 26. Pump 25 is powered by motor 27.

Air enters the air heating unit 29 at 28, and is released by reducing valve 30 or bypass valve 31 to warm air duct 18.

All parts which appear in more than one figure of the drawing are numbered alike.

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In FIG. 3, are shown the open drum door 5, movable platform 32 and flanged wheels 33 on floor flush rails 34. On platform 32 are guide rails as 10D similar to those of FIG. 1, which guide rollers 11. Platform 32 is aligned with floor plate 6 and the roller guides on each are in line for easy loading and removal of frames.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dryer accommodates a variety of rug sizes and a large total area at one time. In the vacuum the fibers expand and are dried in that condition. The result is a soft flufiiness not otherwise possible.

The operation is simple. Warm air from heater 29 is released by reducing valve 30, passes to interior heating units 20. Reversible fans 21 mix and circulate the air begrlleenlthe rugs on the frames as shown by the arrows,

Since water evaporates very readily in a warm partial vacuum, the circulating warm air picks up vapor rapidly. Since evaporation is a cooling process, more heat is constantly added by the thermostatically controlled interior heaters 20, allowing the air to pick up more and more water vapor.

The concentric circulation between rugs is a novel feature of the invention. The direction of circulation is periodically reversed by the reversible fans for even drying all around.

Moisture laden saturated air is continually drawn off through the holes 9 in floor plate 6 by the suction line 22 beneath. The air is intermittently replaced by the action of the reducing valve 30, which is controlled within set limits by the pressure within the drum. When the pressure gets too low the valve opens and when it gets too high the valve closes.

Air filter 23 removes any foreign material which might interfere with the continuous action of the pump. The check valve 24 prevents a back draft from depositing lint on the clean surfaces of the rugs. The pump 25 and motor 27 are of sufiicient capacity to materially reduce the drying time. The function of the internal heaters 20 is to replace the heat used by evaporation without increasing the temperature or volume of air through the external heater 29. When the drying operation is completed the by-pass valve 31 must be opened in order to open door 5.

The vacuum dryer operates at a medium temperature and does not roast the fabric. The vacuum dryer actually dries faster because warm water evaporates much more rapidly and at a lower temperature in a partial vacuum than in normal atmospheric pressure.

I claim:

1. A vacuum rug dryer comprising, a cylindrical drum, a door at one end of said drum, individually removable concentric frames within said drum, longitudinal guides within said drum, rollers on said frames cooperating with said guides, internal heaters within said drum, fans within said drum creating concentric circulation around said frames and between rugs secured to said frames, an external air heater, a reducing valve controlling the flow of heated air through a conduit from said external heater into said drum, and a motor driven suction pump connected to said drum and creating a partial vacuum within said drum.

2. A vacuum rug dryer as claimed in claim 1 and spaced segmental arching ribs joined by bracing and comprising said concentric frames, a movable external platform, and longitudinal guides on said platform alignable to said guides within said drum and forming guidance for the entrance and removal of said frames between said drum and said external platform.

3. A vacuum rug dryer, as claimed in claim 1, and an external movable platform; guides secured to said platform; flanged wheels pivoted to said platform and guided by rails; said guides alignable and contiguous to said guides in said drum when said platform is moved to said drum for the purpose of rolling said frames into or out of said drum; and said concentrical frames operable in any order to and from said platform without interfering with any other frame.

4. A vacuum rug dryer as claimed in claim 1 and spaced ribs in said concentric frames; diagonal braces connecting said ribs together; a perforated screen secured to said ribs and supporting rugs secured thereto; space heaters which warm the interior of said drum; and reversible fans in said space heaters which circulate warm air in the concentric spaces between said frames and the attached rugs.

References Cited WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

